Thailand: Honk (and Stop) if You're Patriotic

by Jordan Yerman | November 23, 2007 at 08:10 am

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A bill is making its way through Thailand's parliament that would require motorists to stop when the national anthem is played. Somehow the idea of every tuk-tuk, moto, car, bus, and truck in, say Bangkok having to stop within the same sixty seconds seems a little ... dangerous. One can surely demonstrate patriotism without getting rear-ended, I would think.

A vote on the Flag Bill proposed by a group of retired and active duty generals in the army-appointed Parliament was deferred on Thursday to allow a committee to study it.

"It would be chaotic if the Bill had passed as it is now. So the National Legislative Assembly [NLA] decided to set up a panel to review it," NLA member Wallop Tangkananurak told Reuters. The Bill's supporters say road traffic should stop nationwide when the anthem is played during the raising and lowering of the flag "to preserve tradition and instil patriotism in Thais".

"The national anthem lasts only one minute and eight seconds, so why can't motorists stop their cars for the sake of the country?" asked retired General and NLA member Pricha Rochanasena (70).

"They already spend more time in traffic jams anyway," he said, referring to Bangkok's notoriously congested streets.

Most Thais already stop what they are doing and stand still when the national anthem is played on loudspeakers in train stations, parks and office buildings at 8am and 6pm.

Gen Pricha said the bill, which did not propose penalties for violators, would allow motorists to be patriotic too.